A little about me

I am in Christ; Jeff's wife; Joshua, Anna, Abigail and Samuel's mum. My husband pastors a Baptist church in a little country town in West Australia. I am, therefore, "the Pastor's Wife" - but I do not cook scones, play the organ, or {add your own stereotype here}. I love studying the Bible, because it helps me to love God more. I enjoy helping others engage more closely with the Bible, whether they be my own children, other children (in the past I have worked as a Children's Ministry Worker) or other women (leading Bible study small groups). I also enjoy my chickens and lambs.

Sunday, 17 August 2008

Barack Obama at Saddleback Church:"I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe versus Wade. And, and I come to that conclusion not because I'm pro-abortion; but because, ultimately, I don't think women make these decisions casually. I think they, they wrestle with these things in profound ways."

I find this comment fascinating and distressing. Not because American politics holds any interest to me (I find American presidential campaigns baffling as well as boring), rather because I love my children now and I loved them from the moment I knew they were growing inside me. The baby whom we lost to miscarriage between my pregnancies with Joshua and Anna was loved and prayed for and is still mourned. I think back with sadness and shame to the occasion I took the morning after pill to avoid an "inconvenient" pregnancy when a condom broke, and pray that I might be forgiven for cutting short any life that had already been conceived within me that day. I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven who has forgiven my sin, Whose Son took my punishment when He died on the cross for me. I know He loves my children - all of them, born and unborn - much more than I could ever imagine.

Obama's comment forces me to ask: Isn't the single characteristic which makes murder different to manslaughter - and so much more monstrous - the forethought that precedes the action? So why, then, does Obama think that a deliberate prior decision to take a life somehow makes the action of taking that life acceptable? I do not understand this. Taking a life is taking a life, whether one "wrestles" with the moral implications or not. The choice of abortion must be condemned for what it is: a deliberate, wilful act of murder.

The Bible on MurderExodus 20:13 (the sixth commandment) says, "You shall not commit murder." Consider what God said to Cain after he murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4:10-11): "The LORD said, 'What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse...' " What curse will be put on those among us who allow these murders to continue? And think upon how God warned Noah after the flood (Genesis 9:5-6): " 'And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.' " What accounting will be made of our involvement in this continued genocide? Even the tiniest baby is made in the image of God. This image-bearing status cannot be removed by any decision of the mother, casual or otherwise. It was and is the gift of God. May His name be glorified in all the earth!

2 comments:

Obama's comments on evil were, I think, even more revealing about his belief system. He was uncomfortable with defeating evil, but hoped to contain it where possible. But--here's the telling part--he said that much evil has been done in the name of defeating evil. At a glance, it is a true statement. Indeed, history gives us plenty of examples of this. But, I thought it revealed his sense of angst with the idea of choosing one worldview/culture/religion/fill-in-the-blank over the other. It isn't news that he is post-modern, but the contrast of Obama to McCain was pretty interesting.

Obama is a relativist; McCain an absolutist. We've reaped what we've sown in America. Over the last century we've tossed out God's standard and even the concept of truth. Now we have a young candidate that finds the idea of truth distasteful!

Without a standard, it comes down to picking a side. No wonder Obama agonizes over the complexities of the world. He is unguided by any fixed standard. If you are unwilling to identify truth, then it is virtuous to wrestle with two equal choices. Wrestle enough, make your choice, and who am I to second guess it?

So TRUE, Mrs. E! It really all comes down to truth. If we don't believe what God tells us, then we have to make something up to fill the void within us that is supposed to be filled by Him. Don't get me wrong - I am sooo thankful to be an American today with the freedom to school my kids and teach them about Jesus. But as with any society made of men (mankind), it puffs itself up with it's own greatness and leaves God along the way. This came to mind when I was reading to J (7yo ds) about the Roman Empire ending - after 800 years! And we are only 225 years old! At times, as I am barraged by yet another political ad, I feel trapped with having to choose the lesser of 2 evils as our next leader. BUT then I remember - God is soveriegn. He raises up and takes down our leaders! He cares for EVERY unborn child whose life has been murdered. I am comforted by the knowledge that HE is righteous and I am saved by His son!Thanks for this post! There are soooo many in the world who disagree but here you are leaving a legacy for you kids in your blog!Blessings,Andrea

Noddy Goes to Toyland, Hurrah for Little Noddy, Noddy and His Car, Here Comes Noddy, Well Done, Noddy!, Noddy Goes to School, Noddy at the Seaside, Noddy and the Magic Rubber, Noddy and Tessie Bear and Noddy Gets into Trouble by Enid Blyton

2013:

The really-and-truly-final-book (#12) in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling - on audible.com audiobook

Anna and I read Earth Unaware and Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston together, since Anna loved reading Ender's Game and the Ender's Shadow series earlier this year

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale and Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (again)

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, read aloud in turns by Anna and Joshua (the fairy tale chapters), Jeff (Oliver's chapters) and me (Delilah's chapters).

(What we thought was) the last book (number 11) in the Ranger's Apprentice series: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

2012:

Ranger's Apprentice Books 1-10: The Ruins of Gorlan, The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, Oakleaf Bearers, The Sorcerer in the North, The Siege of Macindaw, Erak's Ransom, The Kings of Clonmel, Halt's Peril and The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Horrendo's Curse by Anna Fienberg

Five Go To Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton [audiobook CD]

Danny, the Champion of the World, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Witches and The Twits by Roald Dahl [audiobook CD]

The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft, The Borrowers Avenged, and Poor Stainless by Mary Norton

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling [audiobook CD]

James and the Giant Peach,The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl [audiobook CD]

Clarice Bean Spells Trouble by Lauren Child [audiobook CD]

Cry of the Cat by Emily Rhodda [audiobook CD]

Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery [audiobook CD]

2011:

The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King by JRR Tolkein: Yes, even our 4yo listened to The Lord of the Rings!